Puck Daddy

Devin Setoguchi gets another change of scenery, dealt to Winnipeg for draft pick

The phrase "could use a change of scenery" is so a part of Devin Setoguchi that it somehow should be stitched on to the back of his jersey everywhere he goes. Setoguchi was on the move Friday when the Minnesota Wild dealt the 26-year old forward to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a second-round pick in 2014.

In two seasons with the Wild, Setoguchi scored 32 goals and put up 63 points. He has one year remaining before hitting unrestricted free agent status.

Setoguchi is a risk/reward-type player. He shows flashes of great offensive skill at times -- like the month of March --, while others, well, he's just hard to find -- like one goal in Minnesota's final 15 regular season games. It's just his thing.

Setoguchi, who came to the Wild in the Brent Burns trade at the 2011 draft, scored 27 goals and 63 points in 117 with the Wild. At times, it was rocky, but Setoguchi caught fire last year with Matt Cullen and was a big reason the Wild made the playoffs.

As far as Setoguchi goes...there's no doubt he's been on the block for a while. He can be electrifying when he's on, but the occasional brilliance just can't be counted on night in and night out. Truth to be told, a 2nd round pick in next year's Draft (2014) is actually quite the return, however there will be plenty of instances where Seto can have his vengeance.

Setoguchi saw his minutes reduced last year after the Wild brought in high profile names such as Zach Parise and Jason Pominville, but he is exactly the type of player that the Winnipeg Jets coveted. Now the Jets have a right-handed shot to align alongside the dynamic Evander Kane on their second forward group. Another bonus is that only one year remains on his $3 million dollar contract, meaning Winnipeg management isn't locked into an impossibly long-term commitment to the player.

If Setoguchi finds his niche in Winnipeg, it'll earn him an extension. If plays hide-and-seek on the ice, then Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff can cut ties and move forward next season. For Minnesota, the move freed up $3 million in cap space, which helped bring in Matt Cooke to bolster the penalty kill.